Corn Fritters and Jellied Cranberries... of Doom
by RockyD
Summary: A little Thanksgiving wackiness from the mind of a rabid fan... not so wacky, okay, but still should be funny


"Corn Fritters and Jellied Cranberries... uh, of Doom"  
A Thanksgiving FanFic  
**by Rocky D  
**

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters here, save for Quinn... I'm not a cook, and I don't know every kind of Thanksgiving food by heart... I just eat it, I don't cook it... so if I goof anything, please don't sue me, I don't intend to earn money from this unless I'm offered a contract by the Buffy people... then I can toss this disclaimer out the window anyway.  


Rating (Series): PG (It's a Thanksgiving fic... what, like I'm gonna have a bloody massacre on Thanksgiving)  


Spoilers: Into Season 5, but it's an alternate type reality... and not like I really emphasize anything from any particular episode where the continuity is nearly the same.  


Author's Notes/Summary - Buffy and the gang celebrate another Thanksgiving together... think of this as a year in the future (which would make it middle of Season 5... but without any of the continuity). Buffy and Xander are friendly (maybe leaning towards moreso). Riley and Anya are just sort of... there. Buffy/Riley and Xander/Anya never really got serious, but Riley got dragged into the Slayer squad after a bunch of mishaps with the Initiative (similar to what happened in Season 4/5, but... not exactly. Ya understand? Probably not.) And Anya... well, she's not very good with directions. Oh, yeah... Parker BAD! So he never existed either. (god, I love fanfiction :))  


**Note #2 (because I *always* have #2's) - This ends before anything is *really* resolved. I think I might continue it, but only if people want me to. I'd LOVE feedback, because it'd help me make a sequal. I hope you enjoy.**

*FADE TO: Buffy and the rest of the Scooby gang, pouring over some books inside The Magic Box.*

Buffy suddenly looked up, at nothing in particular, and queried, "What are we doing for Thanksgiving this year?"  
Everybody's heads snapped up and looked at her wearily. Giles was the first to voice his thoughts, "Well... we don't exactly have the best, how should I put it... track record when it comes to gatherings. Perhaps we should... well, skip it this year. In hopes of avoiding further disasters."  
Buffy looked appalled, "Skip Thanksgiving? Giles, how would you feel if we skipped the 'slaying' part of my job and went straight to tea time? We *can't* skip Thanksgiving. Especially not in our line of work. We need all the good days we can get."  
Xander semi-reluctantly stood up, "She's got a point, G-Man... As a refugee from a family full of bad holidays... its kind of nice to get together with a bunch of people who you *know* care about you. Make up for all the bad holidays. Besides, always nice to have extra bodies for the crossfire." A book collided with the side of his head, "Oww... I was kidding, no need for violence."  
"So it's decided then." Buffy beamed proudly.  
"Decided? You're outnumbered, like.... five to two..."  
Xander shook his head, "And on the Hellmouth, that constitutes a victory. The Slayer and her Whi... err, Boy Wonder are six votes all by themselves."  
Giles frowned, "I believe I would have to contest that..."  
"Giles, just trust us here... it'll be great." Buffy piped up.  
"Yeah, Rups..." Xander started, but saw the look Giles gave him, "...Giles... you guys won't even have to worry about about the details. The Buffinator and I will go out and take care of it. Just tell us any specifics you want, we'll nail it to the wall." He paused, "Well, not literally."  
Everyone still looked skeptical. Willow finally piped up, "You guys... don't have to get *everything*..."  
Buffy's face lit up, "Wills, welcome to the side of the rational." She looked between Xander and Willow, "How about Xander and I hit grocery items... and you and Tara can hit Party & Pantry?"  
Willow yelped quietly, looking at Tara, "Well... well."  
Tara shrugged, "That'd be fine."  
Buffy and Xander smiled goofily, exchanging a triumphant hug that quickly turned awkward, before Xander looked at Giles, "See, Giles. No muss, no fuss. All you have to do is sit back and keep the pumpkin pie off your tweed."  
Giles face contorted into several different features, before he reluctantly nodded. Buffy and Xander celebrated again. Riley and Anya exchanged a look that could simply be summed up as, 'What about us?'  
Buffy charged over to Giles' desk and grabbed a notebook, "Let's get listing, people."

*CUT TO: Xander's apartment. Buffy and Xander enter and rummage.*

"I know I left the wallet here somewhere." Xander said quietly. They both made their way around the apartment Buffy had convinced him he should move into. He had just gotten a promotion at the construction site, and felt a little tired of the dank basement. Buffy had found the place in the want ads, and demanded they go there.  
Of course, once they got there, Buffy nearly pounded him into applying for the place. Literally, as he had been unceremoniously split into two by some demon with a doubles fetish. His 'better' half had been the one to go with Buffy to tour the apartment. He clearly remembered that his better half had intended to ask Buffy to move in with him, finally telling her all she meant to him.  
That was, until his clumsier half arrived at the apartment, thinking 'better boy' was an evil clone bent on killing Buffy. The beating that followed was not one he liked to, or actually could, remember but Willow and Tara had righted the situation quickly. Shortly afterwards, the apartment was his.  
Xander was rummaging through a pile of junk mail, as Buffy dug between the cushions of his couch. She looked at it and commented, "This is a pretty cush couch, Xand... you sure you aren't getting charged for it?"  
He looked at her, "Pretty sure... It's a comfy couch..." He went back to his pile, "Y'know you can always crash here after a hard night's slaying... just hop the balcony there and come right in." He paused, looking at her with humor, "Unless, of course, you're a vampire. Then I'd like it kindly if you just napped outside then." Buffy giggled, as she moved on to the bathroom.  
When Buffy came out of the bathroom, as short while later, she was holding his wallet. Looking through it would have been a better description. She had it open, and was looking through the little flaps at the contents. She raised an eyebrow, "You have a picture of me in your wallet?"  
Xander spun around and saw what she was doing. Fright registered on his mind as he made a grab for it, but Buffy easily moved it away from him, "Uh, sure, Buff... I've got pictures of all my friends in there."  
She looked at him, then down at the wallet again as she flipped through it, "No you don't... well, there's that group picture we took at the graveyard... other than that... there's just this one of me."  
"Uh... well... they others must have..." Xander started letting his babbling quality get the better of him.  
She smiled appreciatively, before interrupting, "I'm flattered."  
She looked like she wanted to say more, but Xander snatched the wallet away from her, "Y'know, Buffy, we should get going on that grocery shopping... I have a feeling it's going to be insane." She nodded reluctantly and headed out the door behind him.

*CUT TO: Buffy and Xander shopping. Xander is pushing a cart, while Buffy has a basket hung in the crook of her elbow. They're standing at the entryway, and are about to start.*

Buffy looked at the list, and up at the crowd of grumpy looking seniors roaming about the store. She glanced at Xander for a moment, before he spoke her thoughts, "This is going to be soooo much un-fun." Well, her thoughts, sort of.  
She proceeded to rip the list in half, and hand one to him, "I think we'll be more effective if we split up... you can take boxed and canned, I'll search for the fresh stuff."  
Xander smiled slightly, "Ahh, yes... because the Xandman is ill suited for the hunt."  
She lightly slugged him on the arm, "That's not it... I just think I'm more prepared to slug it out over the important items." He nodded his assent, "Alright now... cart or basket?"  
He looked between the two, fighting his hardest not to let his eyes wander as his they moved towards the basket, "No offense, Buffy... but I think I want to be all big and manly and drive the wheeled metal doom machine... it'll be like a car, without all that outside protection." He grinned a little, "Besides, you've got the Slayer strength to lug that turkey around like it's a box of instant potatoes. I'll do better with the actual thing."  
She nodded, "Good luck."  
"We'll need it." He nodded back.

*CUT TO: A short while later, half-way between the non-perishable section, and the frozen/fresh section.*

Buffy and Xander nearly collided as they rushed towards the others target area. She narrowly avoided dropping the turkey(s) in the middle of all of Xander's fragile cargo.  
They nodded in greeting, "Status report?"  
"Well... I got just about everything on the list, including Willow's precious yams... even some Wheatabix in case Spike drops by..."  
"Just about everything?" Buffy frowned.  
"Relax, Buff... I just have one question for you, is all. For the scalloped corn... what's your moral standing on just taking whole kernal corn and mashing it up real good to simulate cream style?" He pointed to the cans in the cart, "There was this little old lady in this green knit sweater, light brown knit cap combination that snagged the last few cans of cream style corn."  
Buffy looked like her eyes were about to pop out of her head, "The same thing happened with me and the turkey." She held up the pair of smaller turkeys held in her one hand. A few of the nearby customers were surprised she was able to hold them both up so easily.  
Xander grinned, it leaned to one side, "I was going to ask about that."  
Buffy shot him a death glare, "That same lady was right ahead of me and took the last big turkey."  
"She got all the way over there? She can get around."  
Buffy growled, "I think we should look into demon origins on her..."  
Xander put a comforting hand on her shoulder, "Relax, Buffy... she's got smaller legs, so she can scurry around. No need to put out an APB on her." He looked in her basket, "You get everything else you were looking for?"  
Buffy nodded, "Yes." She pointed out a bag of something, "Including Willow's 'precious yams'..." She mockingly frowned, "You strayed from your territory, Xander... that's punishable by... spanking."  
Xander gulped, "Yes, Dominatrix Buffy... besides, you were so tied up with the knit wonder and the turkey... I decided to make sure Willow was satisfied." He paused and thought over what he said, "Uh... in the food department... not in the "Tara's job now" department."  
Buffy nodded, and got ready to head for the registers. A small lady, wearing a green knit sweater and light brown knit hat passed them both by. Buffy just about dropped the basket and slipped into Slayer mode, but Xander grabbed her arm and stopped her.  
"Whoa there, Chosen One... you're supposed to protect the innocent, not dismember them over frozen poultry." He put a hand on the middle of her back and gently pushed her towards their destination, speaking on the way, "If she gets to the register before us, though, she's fair game." Buffy smiled appreciatively and lugged the turkeys towards the register.

*CUT TO: Later that afternoon, as Buffy and Xander return from shopping. Willow and Tara who are doing research. Giles is there too, making coffee in the kitchen.*

Xander and Buffy lugged the bags over and put them on Giles desk as gently as they could. Giles came out of the kitchen, a little surprised, "What's this?"  
"We're working on cooking the world's largest crumpet... and we can't just make one from scratch, y'know..." He looked to Willow and Tara, "Unless you two have a crumpet spell you've been keeping from us."  
Giles groaned, "No, I mean why are you bringing this stuff here."  
"Well, Buff and I went shopping for the Thanksgiving stuff this afternoon..." He veered off-topic quickly, "It was like an elderly obstacle course at the grocery store." Xander explained. Buffy nodded, as Xander non-chalantly put an arm over her shoulder, "I had to restrain little miss gung ho from using her Slayer strength on a few of them. Told her she didn't want to have to foot the bill for a half-dozen walkers just cause the lady in front of her got the choice Butterball."  
Giles still looked confused, so Buffy answered him, "We're only stopping by... Xander's going to let us use his apartment for the feast... but you don't know how fun it is to lug heavy groceries from the store to here. We're taking a break." Nobody noticed that Buffy didn't shrug Xander's arm off... well, except for *everybody*.  
Giles prodded, "Xander, are you sure your building manager will *allow* a gathering of this sort?"  
Xander nodded, "I already cleared it... but c'mon, like she's going to tell us we can't have Thanksgiving." He looked at Giles, "She's not heartless. She's actually got quite a soft spot for me, I could get her to do just about anything for me." Buffy finally shrugged his arm off, forcing him to look at her, "Aww, c'mon, Buff... you know you're the only girl for me."  
Buffy blushed, as did Xander when he realized what he said. Buffy ducked the tension by switching focus to Willow and Tara, "What are you researching? A new demon out to kill us and ruin Thanksgiving?"  
Willow shook her head, "Turkey cooking magic."  
Buffy frowned, "No... no magic. You know that's an open invitation for trouble." She grabbed the book Willow was looking in and slammed it closed, "I am not going to let you accidentally turn our turkeys into monstered cause you mispronounce a word."  
"Turkeys?" Willow questioned.  
Buffy tensed, and Xander pulled her back, "Don't ask, Wills. It's a long, infuriating story that involved knitting." Willow nodded, and Xander involuntarily pulled Buffy back into a position where his arm was over her shoulder.  
"Everybody is going to be there tomorrow, right?" Buffy asked. Giles, Willow, and Tara all nodded emphatically. Buffy smiled, "Good. Any of you want to volunteer to show up early in the morning. Xander and I are going to have to start cooking all the stuff early so it comes out right."  
Nobody volunteered, which had Buffy near seething, until Xander gave her a side-hug, "Relax, Buffy... I can't say that enough. You and I took on the grocery shopping problem easy... little old ladies aside. We can deal with cooking a Thanksgiving meal."

*CUT TO: Xander's apartment. Buffy and Xander are putting the last of the supplies away for the night.*

Xander closed the cupboard and leaned back against the counter, "I can safely say this is the most I've ever participated in a Thanksgiving meal, outside of eating it."  
"Kinda blows last year out of the water, huh?"  
"You can say that..." He smiled at her, "But that just means it can be all the better."  
She nodded, "Yeah... it'll be nice to have everyone together without the threat of a demon uprising or vengeant spirits."  
They were silent for a minute, before he spoke, "So, do you need me to walk back with you to your dorm room?"  
She looked over at him through heavy lids, "Um, I was thinking maybe I could crash here overnight... it'd save me from having to walk all the way back here tomorrow."  
Xander looked surprised. She was voluntarily asking to spend the night? He shook his head, and immediately saw Buffy's face fall, "Oh, oh... no Buff... sure you can stay. I was just thinking to myself there for a second."  
She nodded and smiled a little, "Penny for your thoughts?"  
He smiled back, "Going rate in the Harris apartment is a nickel or more."  
She smirked, before reaching in her pocket and placing a dollar on the counter next to him, "Now spill."  
"Damn." He sighed, "We make a good team, don't we?"  
"When it comes to Thanksgiving, I guess we do." She nodded.  
"That's not what I mean." She was confused, but he shook his head, "Nevermind... I was just thinking... why would you really want to crash here?"  
"You aren't a leapor, Xander. It's not like I don't want to touch you." She blushed, "I mean, be around you... you're my good friend."  
He nodded, and looked at the clock, "It's getting late... we should probably go to bed so we're up to cook tomorrow." She nodded as he headed for a closet next to the bathroom. He grabbed a spare blanket and a pillow, tossing them over to the couch, "You can take my bed, I'll sleep out here on the couch."  
Buffy shook her head, "No, Xander... its *your* bed. I'm the guest."  
Xander looked at her, trying to decide how to go about this, "Yeah, which is exactly why you should take the bed and I should be out here." He headed into the bedroom for a minute. He walked over to his nightstand and started setting his alarm clock. Buffy followed him into the room, and he sensed it, "How early do we want to wake up?"  
"You don't have to sleep out there, Xander. You could sleep in here with me." Buffy said non-chalantly, hoping her voice wouldn't crack.  
Xander's hand missed the clock completely as she said this, and ended up banging against the edge of the nightstand. He yelped and shook his hand to get rid of the pain. Buffy was instantaneously next to him, grabbing his hand and giving it a small kiss, "I'm serious, Xander. I trust you not to try anything. You can sleep in here with me."  
"Uhh..."  
"I wouldn't be able to sleep knowing you were out there by yourself. I mean, this isn't even my place, why should *I* be sleeping in *your* bed."  
Xander was dumbfounded, "Uh... cause I'm a good host?"  
"Xander. Please dont argue." She smiled, twinging on seductively, "Don't make me have to knock you out just so we can go to bed." He looked slightly alarmed at the prospect, "As long as you don't suddenly relate that you sleep in the nude, I'll trust you."  
"I..." She silenced him with a finger across his lips.  
She looked seriously into his eyes, "No lying." He nodded against her finger. She glanced at the clock, "Now get ready for bed, I'll be right outside. Don't take too long, cause it's late enough as it is."  
She stepped outside, and closed the door behind her. She smiled slightly at the effect she had on him. Then she shivered slightly at the thought of sleeping in the same bed as Xander. 'Why does that give me goosebumps? He's just my Xander-shaped friend. A cute Xander-shaped friend, but still...'  
The door swung open to reveal Xander in a large t-shirt and some boxers. Buffy tried not to stare, "Um... your turn. There's shirts in the top dresser drawer and, um, I think I might have some sweats in one of the bottom ones."  
She nodded, and passed him by, as he continued speaking, "I'd keep a collection of girl clothes here, y'know, for this kind of occasion... but then people might ask questions with the absence of actual girls." He laughed a little and closed the door behind her.  
Xander pondered just walking over to the couch and getting ready to sleep out here, but he immediately feared what Buffy might say or do to him. As overly-enjoyable as the idea of sleeping in the same bed as Buffy seemed to him, he also worried. 'What if I sleep walk and get fresh with her? She'd probalby kill me.' He shivered slightly, but figured, it was just the temperature of the room. This was definitely going to be an interesting night.  
The door opened up, and Xander almost had to physically restrain his jaw from falling to the ground. She fille dout his shirt and sweats nicely. He tried not to stare, but couldn't help it. He definitely started fearing what he might do in the middle of the night.  
Buffy climbed in bed first, picking the side closest to the room's door, and snuggling herself up in the covers. She idly noted that Xander's bed was very comfortable. Xander looked a little apprehensive about climbing in bed, and as an alternative, simply climbed on top of the covers.  
Buffy immediately reacted, "Xander, you'll freeze. Just get under the covers." He quietly did as she told. Truth be told, he actually feared her right now. She was being a little more forceful than he ever remembered her being outside of her demands that he stop hanging around her for fear of his life. She reached over and turned off the bedside lamp, bathing the room in darkness.  
"Goodnight, Xander."  
"Goodnight, Buffy."

*FADE TO: Morning. A window just above the bed cast light down into the room. Buffy and Xander are umistakeably snuggled together under the covers.*

Buffy was awake. She had been for a little while now. She was a little shocked and surprised at the way she had woken up this morning, snuggled into Xander's arms, but she wasn't all that upset by it. It had been such a long time since she'd been in this situation with anybody. Not since Ang... she didn't really want to dig that grave up again.  
She simply stared at the far wall and enjoyed the closeness she was sharing with Xander, even if he wasn't in on it. It felt good for her to be held his way again, despite how Xander would reject the idea upon his waking. She might just have to present to him a proposition for this situation to occur again. Perhaps a dating type proposition.  
She shook her head, unable to remove he smile, before glancing idly at the clock. Her eyes widened. It was shortly before ten in the morning. They were unbelievably late for their schedule. She started nudging Xander with her elbow to way him up.  
"No, no, mommy... I'm too comfortable to go to school yet..." He snuggled her tighter, but Buffy resisted the urge to give in to it.  
She set on her resolve face and gave him one final, strong elbow shot, "Xander!"  
Xander was suddenly jarred awake, and quickly took the situation in. He was in bed... with Buffy... and they were snuggled. It took him approximately two seconds to propel himself up and off the bed. He hit the floor next to the bed, and his rain of apologies began before he was even back in sight, "Oh, god, Buffy... I'm so sorry... I knew I'd do something like that... you can slay me now..."  
Buffy crawled out of the bed, "Xander, forget about it... we're SO very late... it's almost ten!"  
Xander popped up from beside the bed, "TEN?"  
Buffy nodded as she padded over to the door, "We must have forgotten to finish setting the alarm. Get up!" He was on his feet and following her out into the living area with amazing speed for someone who just woke up.  
They set themselves into fast forward mode, getting out all the things they put away the night before. Xander immediately check on the turkeys, and was relieved to find they were thawed enough not to ruin the whole day.  
Shortly after they had gotten everything started, the phone rang. Buffy padded over the kitchen floor to pick it up, "Hello?"  
"Buffy, it's Willow." Willow almost sounded enthusiastic about the days events.  
"Hey, Wills." She cast a glance over at Xander, he looked a little worried, "What's up?"  
"Tara thought it'd be a good idea if we checked in on how you were doing." Willow giggled, "I think she's feeling a little guilty about not offering to help."  
Buffy looked at a loss for words, but managed to answer, "Uh... well... it's going to be a little late."  
"Late?" Willow sounded surprised, "Why late?"  
Xander had been watching Buffy all through the short conversation. He expected her to make some sort of derogatory remark about him in order to bust herself out of the jam. It was how everybody made themselves feel better, and he didn't usually let it bother him. But from her, it would hurt.  
"Um, well, y'see... we kind of just woke up." All three people listening to the conversation looked suprised.  
"Just woke up?"  
Buffy found herself a new kind of confidence in the look Xander was giving her. He didn't outwardly show it, but his eyes danced with a long-hidden happiness at the fact she wasn't hiding the truth for once, "Yeah, Wills. I stayed over last night." Xander tried to hide his smile, as he went back to working on making up for lost time.  
"Stayed over?"  
"Willow, can you speak in anything other than questions? Yes, I can dish to you later. Right now, we have to make up for oversleeping."  
Willow was silent for a minute, "Okay, I'll let you two... hold on." She was interrupted on her end, but quickly came back, "Do you want me and Tara to come over to help? We can probably help speed up the whole thing. No magic involved, we promise."  
"Just a sec, Wills." She looked to Xander, "Do you want Willow and Tara to come over and help? We could probably use it." He nodded, "Sure, Will. We could really use something to relieve some of the pressure."  
"Well be over in a few minutes." Willow said, hanging up.  
Xander had returned to a state of sombereness. Buffy saw it, and figured he thought she wanted Willow and Tara over to try to avoid the situation between the two of them. She walked over to him, softly placing her hand on his back, "We'll talk about this later, okay? I promise."  
He nodded, and continued mixing batter. Buffy leaned down to check on the turkeys. Things were gonna be okay.

*CUT TO: Xander's apartment, later that day. There are a bunch of blankets thrown over the windows leading to the balcony. A tabled adorned with a homemade centerpiece and various kinds of candles is in the middle of the living area.*

Xander finished placing items he was in charge of on the table, "Thanks for the loan of the table, G-Man.. I don't think we would have all been comfortable around that little round one I call a dining room table."  
Buffy used pot holders to carry the scalloped corn over to the table, "How did you get it up here, Giles? I mean... I know you've got the convertable now... but how did you get it up here? You might be a macho guy, but you're no *me.*"  
"He had help, y'know!" Spike declared as he entered, tossing the towel off his head. He observed the relative darkness of the room, "Ooh, I like what you've done with the place, Harris."  
Xander rolled his eyes, "I figured you'd drop by, Spike... and as entertaining as I know we'd all find your flaming carcass... I didn't want to have my cleaning deposit thrown out the window." Spike sneered, before he roamed around the apartment, sizing it up.  
As Xander walked over to pick up the discarded towel, Buffy noticed how easily Spike entered, "When did you invite Spike in?"  
Xander looked at the vampire as he answered, "Well, it was a week or two ago, after I moved in... I was playing a sad game of One-Man Poker... and he dropped by. I was lonely, and I figured he was harmless... so I let him in to join me." He looked back at her, "Believe me, Buff... it was before I started keeping much better company."  
They shared a knowing smile, as Willow and Tara re-entered the apartment. They came bearing a pumpkin pie and a bowl of whipped cream. Everybody smiled in greeting, except for Spike, who was already caught up in watching TV.  
Xander looked to see that almost everyone was there, "Now all we need are Dumb and Dumber."  
Spike snorted, followed by Buffy belting his arm, "Xander!"  
Xander held is arm, mouthing, 'Owww' Before stumbling off to start the microwave.  
The bathroom door opened up and a pair exited. Anya was wiping her lips off, and Riley limped after her. The room collectively groaned and refrained from any outward comments. Xander motioned for the table, and everybody, save for Spike, took their seats around it, "If I had a bell I'd ring it and say 'Dinner is ready'..."  
Spike stood up and walked over, observing the table full of people food, "That's all well and good, Harris... but what about me?"   
Xander bit his tongue before replying, "Check the microwave, Spike."  
The blonde vampire walked over to the microwave and pulled to door open. The face he then made could possibly be described as elated, "Warmed blood! Oh, and a slightly warm leg of raw lamb!" His gaze quickly turned to the side of the microwave, "WHEATABIX! Oh, Harris, you're too good to me."  
Xander rolled his eyes, "Everybody ignore the walking eye sore." He sat down in his chair, next to Buffy, and started dishing up his meal. Spike, on the other hand, headed over to the couch and started snacking.  
"Spike! Aren't you even going to wait for us to say grace?" Willow declared, surprised for not particular reason.  
Spike looked at her, blood pinking his lips, "Oh, right... and let you bless my food? That'll go over well with the stomach. And I'm sure Harris over there would love to have to dustbuster me off his couch."  
"Actually..." Xander started.  
"SHUT UP!" Spike yelled and went back to eating.  
Everybody ignored him from that point on, and went back to dishing. When they were all done, Xander asked, "Who's going to say grace?"  
Buffy smiled at him, "Well, it is your place."  
Xander smirked a little, "Which means I should get to pick..."  
"No!" Buffy and Willow declared simultaneously.  
"Fine, fine. Let's all bow our heads in this moment of Xandery-prayer." They all did as he said, "Oh lord, we are thankful for this time together, for the love we share, and for the gift of our existence. Bless this food we eat today, except for Spike's, so that we may enjoy it and share it with each other. Amen."  
"Amen." The quiet chorus followed his words.  
"That was very poetic, Xander." Giles commented, honestly.  
"I'm a poet and I didn't even know it." Xander smirked, "What are we waiting for? Let's eat!"

The End (for now)


End file.
